Tadao Nanbara

Tadao Nanbara (南原 忠男, Nanbara Tadao) is one of the main characters from Ultraman Taro. He is a member of ZAT.

Nanbara is from Miyazaki Prefecture in Kyushu. He calls himself the "son of the sun" and is a cheerful, witty, and optimistic man.

He has excellent piloting and shooting skills. On patrol missions, he often teamed up with Kotaro. He completely disregards danger in battle and is consciously willing to sacrifice for the sake of peace.

History

Ultraman Taro

He has a very good relationship with his mother. Even if the two rarely see each other, he can always show his childlike side when communicating with his mother. In episode 51, he married his childhood sweetheart Tamako. ^{The Father of Ultra and the Bride Have Come}

In episodes 33 and 34, Ultraman Jack borrowed his body.

In the series finale, he joins the other ZAT members to bid farewell to Kotaro. ^{Farewell, Taro! The Mother of Ultra!}

Transformation

Willpower: After merging briefly with Ultraman Jack, Nanbara is able to transform into the giant by raising his arm in the air. This was only done once to battle against Alien Temperor.

Gallery

Ultraman Taro

Miscellaneous

Trivia

• Toyoyuki Kimura was cast in the role of Nanbara through auditions. According to Kimura's recollection, the colorful uniforms of the ZAT team became a focal point for children on set: wherever they went, kids would gather around, and it was almost unavoidable.^[2]
  • In the series, Kimura was portrayed as a "silly character," which earned him much praise. He mentioned, "I often played silly characters before, so this type of role was easy for me to portray." Regarding his co-star Saburo Shinoda, he commented, "He was a model newcomer, very serious, energetic, and full of enthusiasm."
  • Kimura recalled that Ultraman Taro was filmed at the Tokyo Art Center (later renamed the "Toho Building"), which had previously been used as a filming location for Kore ga sei shunda. Kimura and many of the staff were familiar with the location. Akira Nagoya, who had played Kimura's father in Kore ga sei shunda, and Takahiko Tono, a senior of Kimura's, made him feel especially relaxed during the filming of the series.
  • Kimura also mentioned that the storyline he filmed with Shinoda depicted their collaboration, emphasizing the harmonious atmosphere on set. Kimura stated, "If, through watching Taro, the children felt emotions such as friendship and a sense of justice, then the effort we put in was truly meaningful."

References

1. ↑ Ultra Tokusatsu PERFECT MOOK vol. 11: Ultraman Taro, pg 14-15
2. ↑ Ultraman Official Data File No.42, pg 31